The "Question That I Shouldn't Have Asked" Story

It was an ordinary day. I just came home from a meeting in the district office of the ManheimTownship School District. My job tonight was to help select a new principal for the high school where I teach Industrial Arts. A few different committees and the school board had narrowed the choice to two candidates and now it was time for our committee to make the final selection. The group I was part of was comprised of a few teachers, a few parents of students in the district, a few students, a board member, an administrator and the Superintendent of the school district. Pretty neat, and impressive, that I was asked to make the choice for our new principal. I am near the end of my teaching career and it is nice to know that I will help select the person that will be my direct boss for the next couple of years. Last night we interviewed the first candidate and tonight we finished the procedure with an interview of Mr. David H. He had been an administrator in New York state for quite a few years and had retired from the school district he was in. He now would like to become our high school principal. He certainly was a people person. Extremely easy to listen to and to talk with. We went around the table asking him questions that we thought would help us in our recommendation to the school board. Questions about how he handles discipline, the importance of sports and extracurricular activities in the high school, the importance of the arts in a high school curriculum, handling of parents, etc. By the time it came to me for the second time I wanted to know about his family. I always thought that a person who has raised or is raising a family themselves would be better equipped to understand the problems facing the high school student. I said to Dave, "Tell us about your family; wife, children, are they in school, etc." All of a sudden the Superintendent spoke and said, "That is not a legitimate question that can be asked for employment in our school district." Wow, I guess he told me! "And, why not?" I asked him. "Because his family has nothing to do with how well he will perform as the principal of our high school," he responded. Now, the superintendent is not the person that I should be disagreeing with, but I said, "Well, personally I think that his private life will reflect how he does in his professional life." Teacher next to me bumped my arm as if to say, way to go LDub. Mr. David H., being a people person saw what was happening and broke into our conversation with, "I don't mind at all answering his question." So, before the superintendent could say a thing, he began his answer. "A wife, a couple of grown boys, and one still in middle school. We plan to move to the township if I am selected for the job." He continued on with more about his personal life. Exactly what I wanted to know. The more I reflected on my question, I realized that I shouldn't have asked it, since his personal life is PERSONAL! But, I did and I voted for him; because of his answer! And .... he was my boss until I retired. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.